From Robinson Crusoe

Twenty-eight years is indeed a very long time.

When he first started the challenge, with his packed schedule, seemingly endless tasks, and a mix of expectations for the future and fear of death, Chen Zhou didn't feel that he had much time.

On the contrary, due to the storm date indicated in the original work, he woke up every day worried about not being able to unload the supplies from the ship and about the storm destroying his shelter.

They clumsily made tools, dug cave dwellings, and bravely used explosives, hoping the crops would grow well...

Looking back, Chen Zhou felt as if he had been reborn from the age of 25.

In a different world, living a life completely different from before.

……

As time went by, he grew increasingly old, and perhaps due to the island's dampness, his leg joints occasionally ached.

A fear of birth, aging, sickness, and death that he had never felt before arose in Chen Zhou's heart.

Although he knew that he could leave the island before he died and return to the vibrant age of 25.

However, physical aging and the trials and tribulations he has experienced over the years have inevitably changed his mindset.

He started to fear death.

……

Sometimes, when Chen Zhou strolled along the island's bustling pier accompanied by guards and saw islanders walking on the boardwalk with their wives and children, he couldn't help but wonder if it was a mistake for him not to leave any descendants in this world.

The children's bright smiles and silvery laughter touched his heart.

In recent years, one by one, the core members of the island who grew up under the watchful eyes of Saturday, Sunday, and Chen Zhou have gotten married and had children.

When they visited Chen Zhou, they would sometimes bring their children along.

The children born on the island are like two different races from the original natives, their faces full of childlike innocence and naivety, without a trace of ferocity or malice.

Chen Zhou likes Sunday children the most.

They were twins, two young men, who looked just like their father, very spirited!

He is decisive and efficient in his work, and seems to have inexhaustible energy.

Having these two little rascals in the house makes it much more lively; otherwise, the constant meowing of cats, birds, and dogs can get quite boring after a while.

……

When he was nearly 50, Chen Zhou considered whether he should have a child.

For him, this was a very difficult decision—

As the ruler of the island, his descendants will not only inherit his power and influence, but will also cause many unexpected disputes.

On Saturday, Sunday, Chen Fu, Chen Lu, Chen Shou and others had already established themselves on the island.

Some of them held absolute military power, some controlled education, some were in charge of the judiciary, and some were in charge of commerce; each of them had their own faction.

If he has children, especially only children, it's fine; influenced by him, these people will definitely do their best to support him.

But what if there are two children?

That would likely turn things into something like the ancient emperors, with each side choosing sides and fighting over the so-called "crown prince" position.

Chen Zhou wasn't worried about the issue of succession by seniority; what he was worried about was that his children wouldn't be able to control the situation.

Ultimately, he is a native-born modern person. He is the only one in the world who has received a complete modern education and who has a forward-looking vision.

His children, even if they inherit his bloodline, cannot inherit his knowledge and understanding of the world.

Even if he teaches without reservation, those born into this world will either be unable to escape the limitations of their time or become builders of "castles in the air" completely detached from reality, leading the island down the path of self-destruction.

It wasn't easy for the indigenous people to live a good life, and it was even harder to build up their reputation and prosperity over the years.

In addition, Chen Zhou did not want to leave too many things in this world that did not belong here. Despite considering it many times, he finally gave up the idea of ​​having children.

……

However, while Chen Zhou may not care about his descendants, the others on the island cannot help but think about the next generation.

The high-ranking officials, who were closely monitored by Chen Zhou on Saturdays and Sundays, were relatively well-off, but the middle-level officials below them tended to get married and have children earlier.

In recent years, most of the children of these mid-level officials have grown to the age of seventeen or eighteen, received education on the island, and, under the arrangement of their parents, have entered important units on the island to work.

Of course, their "promotion speed" is much faster than that of ordinary family workers, so much so that in just two or three years they have climbed to positions that others cannot reach in half a lifetime.

As for their work abilities, by the standards of their parents, they are naturally extremely outstanding.

In Chen Zhou's view, they were just a bunch of good-for-nothings; some of the officials in charge of farming in the agricultural sector couldn't even distinguish between barley and wheat.

In order to rectify this chaotic situation of "seeking benefits for future generations," Chen Zhou launched several major purges in the last ten years of his life.

No fewer than a hundred officials were dismissed or executed by him.

However, the death of the "predecessor" cannot fully warn future generations. They will only think that the predecessor was too blatant and not careful enough, which led to various more difficult-to-supervise ways of favoritism.

Fortunately, the island was ultimately Chen Zhou's domain, and as long as he was certain that someone was abusing their power for personal gain, he could take swift and decisive action.

Every few years, bloody heads are displayed in the execution square. The "climbers" who died with their eyes wide open silently warn those who come after them, keeping the atmosphere on the island at a relatively clean level.

But Chen Zhou knew that this seemingly wonderful scene wouldn't last long, and once he left, the island would return to its old ways.

"But what can be done?"

Chen Zhou often thought this way.

Even in the more developed modern world, expecting everyone to be selfless is a fantasy, let alone in the 17th century.

He could eliminate those parasites time and again, correct the island's course, or establish a strict oversight body to purge corrupt officials from within.

The problem is, he will leave.

Even if he doesn't leave, he will still die.

The parasites will continue to multiply, the direction of progress will still deviate from the right track, and strict monitoring agencies will be polluted and infiltrated. Only the islanders themselves can truly determine the fate of the island.

Chen Zhou eventually realized with dismay that those things that seemed changeable were ultimately unchangeable.

In his final years, he could only do his best to keep the island in a state of "idealism".

……

After having her own child on Saturday and Sunday, she became less close to Chen Zhou.

A barrier that even life and death cannot create has been erected by power.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve learned too much about human relationships over the years, but when I talk to Chen Zhou on Saturdays, I always like to flatter him, and when I play chess with Chen Zhou on Sundays, I will deliberately let him win.

Chen Zhou still remembers that when he first started learning chess on Sunday, he was no match for him at all. He was often checkmated by a series of cannon strikes or had his rook captured.

Back then, even knowing he was no match for Zhou Qi, Sunday would rack his brains to play against him, never holding back. As he grew older and played more and more games, Sunday's skills became increasingly sophisticated. By the time Chen Zhou was 46, he could no longer beat Sunday.

Because in that same year, Chen Zhou lost six games of chess on Sunday in a row.

On the chessboard, Chen Zhou didn't have much of a competitive spirit.

Sunday's chess skills have improved to this extent entirely because he loves it so much and has never given up playing chess over the years. Normally, Chen Zhou would be proud of him.

But when Sunday, relying on his superior chess skills, began to "perform" clumsily and made "mistakes" in sending pieces, Chen Zhou felt disgusted.

He didn't know why those innocent children had turned out this way.

He couldn't understand whether this so-called "human relationships" would make the world a better place or a more chaotic one.

Chen Zhou was simply uncomfortable with the feeling of others hiding their thoughts from him and deliberately flattering him.

This exacerbated his sense of loneliness, making him feel isolated from the whole world, unable to confide in anyone except his deceased companions.

……

In 1686, Chen Zhou celebrated his 52nd birthday.

On this day, as usual, a grand celebration was held on the island, and the boisterous voices could be heard from afar.

The small wooden dock of yesteryear has long since changed. Flat stone-paved roads and various brick houses line several streets, and ships from afar dock in the harbor, their tall masts resembling a forest.

People dressed in all sorts of costumes strolled through the streets, and the cries of vendors, the laughter of young couples, and the chatter of pedestrians filled the air.

Smoke rose from the beach as people prepared fresh seafood by a charcoal grill, the aroma of seasonings wafting in the air.

Inside the factory, steam engines roared, and workers, working overtime, steadfastly remained at their posts.

They will earn a considerable income by working on holidays.

Although the island's indigenous people have earned a considerable income through work and foreign trade in recent years, some hardworking people will still strive even harder for the sake of their children.

……

Looking down from above, the most eye-catching sight is a long, colorful dragon.

This long river meanders through the sparse forest, starting from the docks, factories, and several other residential areas, bypassing farmland, and converging into a long river that heads straight for the temple.

The once unknown "Wang Lingguan" has gradually gained fame in recent years as the island has grown.

A few years ago, the great temple built by the zebra was abandoned. People built a larger and more magnificent temple for this "deity" and created a new statue with gilded decorations based on the bronze statue.

At the same time, Wang Lingguan was also given a new function—

The so-called sea god, thunder god, war god, and even the god of wealth, wine god, and love god seem to have become an omnipotent true deity.

Chen Zhou hadn't worn that Iron Pagoda armor and presided over the sacrificial ceremony for a very, very long time.

The Iron Pagoda was stored in the factory's storage room and had long been covered in dust.

Aside from a few islanders, few could recall the chief appearing at the sacrificial ceremony, looking so heroic in his black armor.

Few people know how the island's festivals are established, or what the first sacrificial ceremony on the island looked like.

Some have even forgotten the island’s true rulers, knowing only the famous Sunday, Saturday and other high-ranking officials.

Life is too busy for them; they have almost no time to think about anything else and can only focus on food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, as well as on savings and their descendants...

……

Amidst this festive atmosphere, deep within the orchard valley, the quiet manor was sparsely populated.

On the cleaned-up hillside behind the manor, several more small graves have been added, with marble tombstones standing among the greenery, each bearing the name of the deceased.

Chen Zhou lay on the green grass, his face bathed in sunlight filtering through the dappled shadows of the leaves.

Beside him was Laifu's grave, a little further away were Little Grey and Tizi's graves, and further still were Tiger Head, Guangdang, and Grey Ball's graves...

Resting his head on his arm, Chen Zhou looked up at the sky.

August is usually the rainy season, but today is a rare sunny day. The sky is a clear blue, as clear as a pool of water.

Perhaps due to overwork, Chen Zhou's hair has turned mostly white, even though he is only over fifty.

The sunlight was a bit too bright, causing him to squint.

Nevertheless, his aging eyes, which could hardly withstand stimulation, still managed to squeeze out a few tears from the sun.

Lying on the hillside as if asleep, Chen Zhou didn't think about any of the troubles and noise on the island.

He remained silent for a long time before finally turning slowly to look at Lai Fu's tombstone and speaking as if in a dream.

"I'm leaving now, Laifu."

As he spoke, Chen Zhou stretched out his arm and touched the hard tombstone with his hand, which had some age spots and loose skin.

"I'm going back to my hometown. I may never come back, and I won't be able to talk to you anymore."

The marble, exposed to sunlight, had a surface temperature slightly higher than human body temperature and felt warm to the touch, but it had no hair on it. Even with his eyes closed, Chen Zhou couldn't imagine it as Lai Fu.

He paused and continued.

"I know you find the parrots noisy, so you didn't bring them."

Actually, today is my birthday.

I think you know that you were always happy when it was my birthday, since you got to eat good food!

But I haven't been happy on my birthday in the past few years, and this year it's especially painful.

"Actually, I'm not afraid of aging, nor am I that afraid of death. I just feel a tightness in my chest."

Chen Zhou sat up, leaned against the tombstone, and looked towards his manor, towards the lush greenery.

“I am not an idealist, nor do I have any grand ambitions. I have never expected to build a ‘utopia’ or any ‘paradise island’ here.”

Maybe I'm getting old, or maybe I haven't changed with the world, but I've found that the people I used to know are starting to feel like strangers.

I used to feel that certain parts of me had become part of this era and part of this world.

But now I realize that I don't belong here after all, neither in my existence, nor in my thoughts, nor in my beliefs..."

"Laifu, you may never understand this feeling."

But that's for the best. I hope you'll always be a carefree little dog.

Chen Zhou touched the tombstone once more, as if stroking Laifu's fluffy head, then stood up and slowly walked away from the hillside.

This long challenge has finally come to an end, with only three digits remaining in the 10300-day countdown.

He had already said goodbye to his best friend; now, the only people he truly cared about were those "most familiar strangers." (End of Chapter)